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Cadillac Williams: Auburn running back signee Jeremiah Cobb ‘is going to be a star’

Published: Feb. 04, 2023, 8:00 a.m.

5–6 minutes

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Auburn made waves with its 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes this week, but the program also capped off its 2023 signing class on Wednesday when it officially welcomed in-state running back Jeremiah Cobb.

The four-star running back out of Montgomery Catholic, who had been committed to Auburn since July 1, signed his letter of intent at the start of the February signing period. He was the lone unsigned commit for the Tigers after the early signing period, though he never wavered from his pledge to the program — even after the coaching change on the Plains.

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Cobb is the highest-rated offensive signee in the Tigers’ 2023 class, and after putting up prolific numbers during his prep career, Auburn running backs coach Cadillac Williams is excited about what the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder will bring to the program’s backfield.

“I honestly think the kid is going to be a star,” Williams said Thursday, a day after Cobb signed. “I think the future is so bright for him.”

During his four years at Montgomery Catholic, Cobb ran for 6,567 yards and 75 touchdowns while averaging a whopping 10.3 yards per carry and 131.3 yards per game for his high school career. He was a three-time ASWA All-State first-team selection, and he helped lead the school to a runner-up finish in the Class 3A playoffs as a sophomore in 2020.

Not only did Cobb routinely put up big numbers on the field, but he improved statistically every season throughout his career.

After rushing for 375 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman, Cobb posted three consecutive 2,000-yard rushing seasons at Montgomery Catholic. As a sophomore he ran for 2,013 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 8.7 yards per carry and 134.2 yards per game. The following season, he rushed for 2,163 yards and 30 touchdowns while averaging 11.1 yards per carry and 154.5 yards per game.

While his overall rushing total declined slightly as a senior, albeit in one fewer game, he ran for 2,016 yards while averaging a career-high 11.7 yards per carry and 155.1 yards per game. That included four 200-yard rushing efforts, with one game of 300-plus yards. He finished his career with six games of at least 200 yards rushing, eclipsing the 300-yard mark in two of those.

“It was cool to watch him week in, week out,” Williams said. “One thing I loved about Jeremiah — if you watched Jeremiah from his sophomore, junior to his senior year, each year he got better and better and better. Therefore, from a player standpoint, it lets me know he’s not a guy that’s reading his press clippings. Like, he is a guy that accepts coaching. Whenever I talk to him, he’s locked in. He’s a guy, even in high school, I could critique things that he did.

“We talked about it, he could have a great game and, he could have 200-something yards, but hey, it’s my job to find things that you could get better at. He’s accepted coaching well.”

Cobb was rated as the No. 9 running back in the 2023 class, the No. 13 player in the state of Alabama and the No. 165 overall recruit in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He will join an Auburn backfield that loses star running back Tank Bigsby but returns Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston and former walk-on Sean Jackson, and also adds USF transfer Brian Battie, a former consensus All-America kick returner.

It remains to be seen what kind of role Cobb will be able to carve out for himself as a freshman, especially since he isn’t a midyear enrollee and won’t have the benefit of spring practices. However, Williams is excited about what he brings to the table, noting that he’s “cut from the same cloth” as Hunter, both on and off the field.

What does that mean? As Williams put it, Cobb is “selfless, (a) hard-worker, about his team, about others, about investing in himself, getting better each and every day. He’s got a vision, a drive for himself where he will not be denied.”

As far as his running style is concerned, Williams described Cobb as a one-cut runner who is shifty enough to make defenders miss but strong enough to shed tackles and hold his own in pass protection.

“He’s a back, to me, that can do it all,” Williams said. “One thing that I love about him, and everybody knows about his speed, everybody knows about his long runs, but he is a guy that can get the tough yards. He’s a guy that breaks tackles. One thing I love about him, he will stick his face in the fan, as in he’s a willing blocker. He’s pretty good at that.

“I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to work with him and just see where his career goes. But man, I am excited about Jeremiah Cobb. He’s going to be a good one.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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[aubiefifty 18,255]

this is the kid in tenth grade and he already looks great.